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‘Honestly, I don’t remember much. I only know I can recover from here,’ singer tweets after being attacked in New York. By Kara Warner Gavin DeGraw Photo: Jeff Fusco/ Getty Images After suffering a brutal attack early Monday morning in New York, Gavin DeGraw has been released from the hospital and is said to be on the road to recovery. A rep for the “I Don’t Wanna Be” singer confirmed that DeGraw was discharged Tuesday evening (August 9) from Bellevue Hospital, where he was being treated for a concussion, broken nose, black eyes, cuts and bruises sustained when a group of unknown assailants attacked him in Manhattan’s East Village. The attack is still under investigation, and no arrests have been made, but the 34-year-old took to Twitter to say a few words about the incident and to let his fans know that he plans to get well soon. “Hi my friends,” he tweeted to his more than 60,000 followers. “Honestly, I don’t remember much. I only know I can recover from here. Thank u all for your genuine concern. I love u guys.” Despite being released from the hospital, DeGraw was forced to cancel several upcoming appearances. “As a result of Gavin’s injuries, he won’t be performing in Wantagh, NY on August 12 or Mansfield, MA on August 13,” his rep said in a statement to MTV News. It is not yet known how quickly DeGraw will recover and whether he will reschedule his appearances. The singer is preparing to release his fifth album, Sweeter, on September 20, and has plans to open a second National Underground bar in Nashville with his brother, fellow musician Joey DeGraw. Share your well-wishes for Gavin in the comments below. Related Artists Gavin DeGraw

‘I had a little bit of an identity crisis,’ frontwoman Amy Lee says of band’s hiatus during ‘MTV First: Evanescence.’ By Kara Warner, with reporting by James Montgomery Evanescence’s Amy Lee Photo: MTV News After a 20-month hiatus from performing, Evanescence returned to the stage in fine, fighting form Monday (August for the exclusive “MTV First: Evanescence,” treating viewers to the first live performance of their comeback single, “What You Want,” followed by a lengthy no-holds-barred Q&A. The energy in the room and onstage was palpable. The live audience at Blackbird Studios — the recording house where the band laid down the majority of their forthcoming, self-titled album — held on and rocked out to each and every note, particularly frontwoman Amy Lee’s powerful vocals. In discussing their hiatus and eventual return as a band, Lee admitted that the “hard part” of making music and recording was something she felt was missing from her writing process. “The fact that we had to fight for it felt like the first time again,” Lee said of the band’s ups and downs in the years leading up to their latest work. “I had a little bit of an identity crisis,” Lee admitted of being in and associated with Evanescence since she was a teenager and into her adulthood. “[The success with] ‘Fallen’ happened really fast, and it was just go, go, go for a couple years, and we went right into writing and wrote the next record. By the time we finished touring with ‘The Open Door,’ I just needed to go, ‘Who am I as an adult?’ “But [in taking a step back I realized] this is what I do,” Lee said. “It’s not a character; this is really me. Realizing and getting back to it in a real, fuller way. ‘Oh, I’m in this because I love this and [the band] is a true, real part of me,’ not because it’s a character or something. It just makes me really, really happy to be here.” Stay tuned to MTVNews.com as we roll out more from our exclusive interview, including talk about tour details, “Twilight” and much more. Related Videos MTV First: Evanescence Related Artists Evanescence

Chicago-based singer Rebecca Francescatti claims Gaga’s song is similar to a song she recorded in 1999 called ‘Juda.’ By Kara Warner Lady Gaga Photo: Michael Loccisano/ Getty Images Relatively unknown Chicago-based singer Rebecca Francescatti has filed a lawsuit against Lady Gaga for alleged copyright infringement on her hit single “Judas.” According to TMZ , Francescatti claims that “Juda,” a song she recorded in 1999 with her band Rebecca F. & the Memes, has multiple similarities with Gaga’s track, chief among them the fact that Francescatti’s former bass player Brian Gaynor is now employed by a music company that wrote 17 songs for Gaga’s Born This Way album. NBC Chicago reported that Gaynor was open with Francescatti and admitted that he was writing for and working with Gaga. Francescatti’s lawyer, Chris Niro, told TMZ that his client is seeking proper recognition for her original work. “Though the songs are different styles, the composition is the same and the chorus is the same melody,” he told the site. “[Rebecca] is seeking recognition for what she created.” By “recognition,” Francescatti means money she believes is owed to her. In the lawsuit, a copy of which was obtained by the Huffington Post , Francescatti names Gaga, Interscope Records, Universal Music Group, DJ White Shadow and sound engineer Brian Joseph Gaynor as participants in creating the single “Judas,” a song that bears “a substantial similarity” to “Juda” in that Gaga allegedly “copied and incorporated substantial, original portions” of the work, though it was previously copyrighted and recorded with Gaynor. Francescatti is reportedly seeking a cut from the profits “Judas” has earned. Do you think the two songs are similar? Let us know in the comments below! Related Artists Lady Gaga

‘I am confident, that after further investigation, both men will be vindicated,’ lawyer tells MTV News of Sean and his friend. By Rob Markman Big Sean Photo: Getty Images Big Sean was arrested Thursday night after New York State Park Police received a complaint that a female had been sexually assaulted during a concert where the G.O.O.D. Music rapper performed on the same bill as Wiz Khalifa . The rapper, born Sean Anderson, was arrested along with Willie Hansbro at approximately 9:50 p.m. ET after the woman issued the complaint. The Finally Famous rapper, who is currently on Khalifa’s Rolling Papers Tour, performed Thursday night at Artpark in Lewiston, New York. Big Sean and Hansbro were eventually released on $500 bail each. The two men, both hailing from Detroit, have been charged with forcible touching, unlawful imprisonment in the second degree and sex abuse in the third degree and will have to appear in court. “Both men were charged with misdemeanors and they both vehemently deny the allegations,” Sean’s lawyer, Scott E. Lemon, said in a press release issued to MTV News. “I am confident, that after further investigation, both men will be vindicated.” Big Sean has been riding high since his debut album, Finally Famous, hit #3 on the Billboard albums chart this past June. The LP’s lead single, “My Last,” hit #1 on the Billboard rap chart, and the 23-year old MC earned his first Video Music Awards nomination in the Best New Artist category Related Artists Big Sean Wiz Khalifa

‘He said he was gonna give me some beats, but he never did,’ Game says on ‘RapFix Live,’ speculating that lyrics may have upset ‘Ye. By Rob Markman, with reporting by Sway Calloway Game Photo: MTV News Game and Kanye West have had quite the chemistry in the studio. But after producing a song on each of Game’s first three albums, the Louis Vuitton Don will not be supplying any music for the West Coast rapper’s upcoming The R.E.D. Album and that may be Game’s fault. “I dunno, I think I dissed Amber Rose while she was with [Kanye] and I think that kinda tainted our relationship a little bit,” Game told Sway on Wednesday’s “RapFix Live” after he was asked when he’d be working with Yeezy again. “I reached out to Kanye at the beginning of the album and I seen him in L.A. He said he was gonna give me some beats, but he never did,” the Compton MC said. “I didn’t take it personal, I got nothing but love for ‘Ye and the things that we did in the past.” The pair first collaborated when West hooked up the beat for “Dreams,” a single off of Game’s 2005 debut, The Documentary. The two then got together again on “Wouldn’t Get Far,” the model-dissing track off Game’s second album, The Doctor’s Advocate, and completed the hat trick in 2008 with “Angel” on the former G-Unit member’s L.A.X. LP. But when the rapper drops The R.E.D. Album on August 23, the streak will end. While Game admitted to some wrongdoing — throwing shots at Yeezy’s former squeeze while the two were together — he insisted that he never directly disrespected Kanye. “I never shoot shots at Kanye, and if I do, it’s always competitive and I’ll clean it up on the next bar because I got a lot of love and a lot of respect for him.” Game also says he isn’t hard-pressed for a Kanye track or feature. “What I’m saying is, I’m not waking up begging to work with Kanye, number one, but if it happens it happens; if it don’t, it don’t.” Sway then asked whether Game’s persistent barbs at Jay-Z had anything to do with the distance between him and Kanye, considering the two are dropping their collaborative Watch the Throne album . Game didn’t think that was a factor, noting that Kanye and Jay have always had a close relationship, and Game has been baiting Hov for years. “I’ve been shooting shots at Jay from the beginning, but worked with ‘Ye throughout,” the Dr. Dre prot

‘Nah, we ain’t longer than Detox, ‘ Styles tells MTV News, comparing group’s first album since 2000 to Dr. Dre’s long-awaited project. By Rob Markman Jadakiss and Styles P Photo: MTV News When the LOX dropped their last album, We Are the Streets, the world had just finished breathing a collective sigh of relief, thankful that their computers didn’t crash in the Y2K scare. Not that the Yonkers, New York, rap trio made up of Jadakiss, Styles P and Sheek Louch haven’t been busy dropping solo albums and mixtapes over the past 11 years. “Paperwork, paperwork, it ain’t on us. All I’m gonna say is, LOX-wise, you hear how many verses we do, freestyles we do, songs we do, LOX songs we drop here and there,” Styles P said about the group’s long-awaited third album . “Due to common sense, it’s paperwork. When the paperwork pans out, you got LOX. That’s all I’m gonna say. We would’ve been gave y’all LOX.” The LOX got their start on Diddy’s Bad Boy Records in 1997 after they dropped their debut single, “We’ll Always Love Big Poppa.” The song stood as a dedication to the Notorious B.I.G. after he was murdered earlier that year. In 1998, the group dropped their debut album, Money, Power, Respect, but soon after, they became disgruntled with their label and organized a “Let the LOX Go” campaign to be let out of their Bad Boy contract. Diddy eventually obliged , and the threesome dropped their sophomore album on Ruff Ryders in 2000. Aside from the group effort, each member dropped a number of solo albums on various labels, leaving entangled contracts that are now getting sorted out. “It’s a lot of heads involved with the new LOX album. You got Ruff Ryders, you got Bad Boy, you got Interscope. It’s a lot of politics in one set of paperwork, but it’s gettin’ close,” Styles said. If Dr. Dre’s Detox is rap’s longest-delayed LP, then the LOX aren’t far behind. Jada and P are amused at the comparison. “Nah, we ain’t longer than Detox. We close! We right behind it; we ain’t neck and neck, though,” Styles said, laughing at the notion that his group could eclipse Dre’s drought if the producer’s album is dropped this year as planned. Jadakiss begged to differ, starting a little debate with his rhyme partner. “We passed Detox, ” ‘Kiss proclaimed. “Nah, they said Detox was coming in ’99,” Styles argued. Despite common misconceptions based on the album’s title, it was 1999 when Dre dropped his 2001 LP. Work on his third album was said to have started in 2003 , but details are sketchy. Jada suggests a joint Dr. Dre and LOX album release to satisfy the fan’s demand. “We need to do a double album: the Detox and the new LOX album,” he joked. After a few laughs, Jada got serious and said the group was close to a breakthrough in the legal holdups, but he wouldn’t nail down a specific label where the album would be released. “Big shout-out to J Records, Geffen Records, Atlantic, Warner,” he said. “Big shout-out to all of these labels.” What are you expecting from new LOX music? Let us know in the comments! Related Artists Dr. Dre Jadakiss Styles P

‘Nah, we ain’t longer than Detox, ‘ Styles tells MTV News, comparing group’s first album since 2000 to Dr. Dre’s long-awaited project. By Rob Markman Jadakiss and Styles P Photo: MTV News When the LOX dropped their last album, We Are the Streets, the world had just finished breathing a collective sigh of relief, thankful that their computers didn’t crash in the Y2K scare. Not that the Yonkers, New York, rap trio made up of Jadakiss, Styles P and Sheek Louch haven’t been busy dropping solo albums and mixtapes over the past 11 years. “Paperwork, paperwork, it ain’t on us. All I’m gonna say is, LOX-wise, you hear how many verses we do, freestyles we do, songs we do, LOX songs we drop here and there,” Styles P said about the group’s long-awaited third album . “Due to common sense, it’s paperwork. When the paperwork pans out, you got LOX. That’s all I’m gonna say. We would’ve been gave y’all LOX.” The LOX got their start on Diddy’s Bad Boy Records in 1997 after they dropped their debut single, “We’ll Always Love Big Poppa.” The song stood as a dedication to the Notorious B.I.G. after he was murdered earlier that year. In 1998, the group dropped their debut album, Money, Power, Respect, but soon after, they became disgruntled with their label and organized a “Let the LOX Go” campaign to be let out of their Bad Boy contract. Diddy eventually obliged , and the threesome dropped their sophomore album on Ruff Ryders in 2000. Aside from the group effort, each member dropped a number of solo albums on various labels, leaving entangled contracts that are now getting sorted out. “It’s a lot of heads involved with the new LOX album. You got Ruff Ryders, you got Bad Boy, you got Interscope. It’s a lot of politics in one set of paperwork, but it’s gettin’ close,” Styles said. If Dr. Dre’s Detox is rap’s longest-delayed LP, then the LOX aren’t far behind. Jada and P are amused at the comparison. “Nah, we ain’t longer than Detox. We close! We right behind it; we ain’t neck and neck, though,” Styles said, laughing at the notion that his group could eclipse Dre’s drought if the producer’s album is dropped this year as planned. Jadakiss begged to differ, starting a little debate with his rhyme partner. “We passed Detox, ” ‘Kiss proclaimed. “Nah, they said Detox was coming in ’99,” Styles argued. Despite common misconceptions based on the album’s title, it was 1999 when Dre dropped his 2001 LP. Work on his third album was said to have started in 2003 , but details are sketchy. Jada suggests a joint Dr. Dre and LOX album release to satisfy the fan’s demand. “We need to do a double album: the Detox and the new LOX album,” he joked. After a few laughs, Jada got serious and said the group was close to a breakthrough in the legal holdups, but he wouldn’t nail down a specific label where the album would be released. “Big shout-out to J Records, Geffen Records, Atlantic, Warner,” he said. “Big shout-out to all of these labels.” What are you expecting from new LOX music? Let us know in the comments! Related Artists Dr. Dre Jadakiss Styles P

‘Nah, we ain’t longer than Detox, ‘ Styles tells MTV News, comparing group’s first album since 2000 to Dr. Dre’s long-awaited project. By Rob Markman Jadakiss and Styles P Photo: MTV News When the LOX dropped their last album, We Are the Streets, the world had just finished breathing a collective sigh of relief, thankful that their computers didn’t crash in the Y2K scare. Not that the Yonkers, New York, rap trio made up of Jadakiss, Styles P and Sheek Louch haven’t been busy dropping solo albums and mixtapes over the past 11 years. “Paperwork, paperwork, it ain’t on us. All I’m gonna say is, LOX-wise, you hear how many verses we do, freestyles we do, songs we do, LOX songs we drop here and there,” Styles P said about the group’s long-awaited third album . “Due to common sense, it’s paperwork. When the paperwork pans out, you got LOX. That’s all I’m gonna say. We would’ve been gave y’all LOX.” The LOX got their start on Diddy’s Bad Boy Records in 1997 after they dropped their debut single, “We’ll Always Love Big Poppa.” The song stood as a dedication to the Notorious B.I.G. after he was murdered earlier that year. In 1998, the group dropped their debut album, Money, Power, Respect, but soon after, they became disgruntled with their label and organized a “Let the LOX Go” campaign to be let out of their Bad Boy contract. Diddy eventually obliged , and the threesome dropped their sophomore album on Ruff Ryders in 2000. Aside from the group effort, each member dropped a number of solo albums on various labels, leaving entangled contracts that are now getting sorted out. “It’s a lot of heads involved with the new LOX album. You got Ruff Ryders, you got Bad Boy, you got Interscope. It’s a lot of politics in one set of paperwork, but it’s gettin’ close,” Styles said. If Dr. Dre’s Detox is rap’s longest-delayed LP, then the LOX aren’t far behind. Jada and P are amused at the comparison. “Nah, we ain’t longer than Detox. We close! We right behind it; we ain’t neck and neck, though,” Styles said, laughing at the notion that his group could eclipse Dre’s drought if the producer’s album is dropped this year as planned. Jadakiss begged to differ, starting a little debate with his rhyme partner. “We passed Detox, ” ‘Kiss proclaimed. “Nah, they said Detox was coming in ’99,” Styles argued. Despite common misconceptions based on the album’s title, it was 1999 when Dre dropped his 2001 LP. Work on his third album was said to have started in 2003 , but details are sketchy. Jada suggests a joint Dr. Dre and LOX album release to satisfy the fan’s demand. “We need to do a double album: the Detox and the new LOX album,” he joked. After a few laughs, Jada got serious and said the group was close to a breakthrough in the legal holdups, but he wouldn’t nail down a specific label where the album would be released. “Big shout-out to J Records, Geffen Records, Atlantic, Warner,” he said. “Big shout-out to all of these labels.” What are you expecting from new LOX music? Let us know in the comments! Related Artists Dr. Dre Jadakiss Styles P

‘We’ll see the mom wearing a NeedToBreathe shirt and the kid wearing the Taylor Swift shirt!’ lead singer Bear Rinehart tells MTV News of fans on tour. By Vaughn Trudeau Schoonmaker, with additional reporting by Morgan Schwartz NeedToBreathe Photo: MTV News As Taylor Swift ‘s super successful Speak Now Tour makes its way across North America this summer, her “rock-and-dance-a-billy” opening act NeedToBreathe took a moment out of their grueling schedule to tell MTV News all about life on the road with one of today’s biggest stars. “We’ve been a band for almost 11 years,” lead singer Bear Rinehart said. “It’s been little steps along the way, you know? Playing in our hometown for the first time at a club that we loved, and then getting signed by Atlantic Records, and then Taylor called and wanted us to tour with her ’cause she’s a fan.” During the four-man band’s first soundcheck of the tour, the guys were surprised to discover just how much of a NeedToBreathe fan Taylor is. “[It was] her and her family sitting out in the crowd, like, singing along to every word of the songs that we’re doing in the soundcheck,” drummer Joe Stillwell recalled. “It’s a little surreal to kind of see that from somebody that you see on such a big scale all the time.” While South Carolina’s NeedToBreathe have been on the music scene for a while now, the Speak Now tour has been an experience unlike any other for the group. “We haven’t played in venues this big, so that’s been a little bit to get used to,” Bear noted. “The first night you walk out there and there’s 20,000 people, it’s like, ‘Whoa, this is pretty intense!’ ” “Her fans, for the most part, are younger than our fanbase,” said lead guitarist Bo Rinehart (Bear’s brother). “Some of these people, it’s the first rock and roll show they’ve ever been to,” Bear said with a laugh about Taylor’s hard-core fans. “Sometimes we’ll see the mom wearing a NeedToBreathe shirt and the kid wearing the Taylor Swift shirt!” The band’s fourth studio album, The Reckoning, hits stores in September. Will you catch the Speak Now Tour? Tell us your thoughts on NeedToBreathe in the comments below! Related Videos Opening Act: Artists To Look Out For Related Artists needtobreathe Taylor Swift

‘We’ll see the mom wearing a NeedToBreathe shirt and the kid wearing the Taylor Swift shirt!’ lead singer Bear Rinehart tells MTV News of fans on tour. By Vaughn Trudeau Schoonmaker, with additional reporting by Morgan Schwartz NeedToBreathe Photo: MTV News As Taylor Swift ‘s super successful Speak Now Tour makes its way across North America this summer, her “rock-and-dance-a-billy” opening act NeedToBreathe took a moment out of their grueling schedule to tell MTV News all about life on the road with one of today’s biggest stars. “We’ve been a band for almost 11 years,” lead singer Bear Rinehart said. “It’s been little steps along the way, you know? Playing in our hometown for the first time at a club that we loved, and then getting signed by Atlantic Records, and then Taylor called and wanted us to tour with her ’cause she’s a fan.” During the four-man band’s first soundcheck of the tour, the guys were surprised to discover just how much of a NeedToBreathe fan Taylor is. “[It was] her and her family sitting out in the crowd, like, singing along to every word of the songs that we’re doing in the soundcheck,” drummer Joe Stillwell recalled. “It’s a little surreal to kind of see that from somebody that you see on such a big scale all the time.” While South Carolina’s NeedToBreathe have been on the music scene for a while now, the Speak Now tour has been an experience unlike any other for the group. “We haven’t played in venues this big, so that’s been a little bit to get used to,” Bear noted. “The first night you walk out there and there’s 20,000 people, it’s like, ‘Whoa, this is pretty intense!’ ” “Her fans, for the most part, are younger than our fanbase,” said lead guitarist Bo Rinehart (Bear’s brother). “Some of these people, it’s the first rock and roll show they’ve ever been to,” Bear said with a laugh about Taylor’s hard-core fans. “Sometimes we’ll see the mom wearing a NeedToBreathe shirt and the kid wearing the Taylor Swift shirt!” The band’s fourth studio album, The Reckoning, hits stores in September. Will you catch the Speak Now Tour? Tell us your thoughts on NeedToBreathe in the comments below! Related Videos Opening Act: Artists To Look Out For Related Artists needtobreathe Taylor Swift